Colby Mouse's Christmas Gift

Colby Mouse's Christmas Gift by Barbara Bockman is an unusual Christmas story.

Like many other books, it tells about a family decorating their tree, and getting ready for Christmas on Christmas Eve.

But it also tells about a mouse and the trap set to catch him. His name is Colby, like the cheese.

Thank goodness it's a catch and release trap, not one that will hurt the poor mouse, and the human father plans to set the mouse free in the woods.

Colby listens as the father reads the Nativity story and wants to share the joy of giving and receiving gifts.

On Christmas morning as the humans open their gifts they discover one from the mouse. He has left the cheese from the trap on a plate and traded it for a candy cane, which he considers his gift from them.

The book doesn't explain how the mouse got the cheese out of the trap without getting caught, but kids who hear this book read to them will be glad he did.

KC Snider's bright and cheerful illustrations add a lot to the pleasure kids will get from this book.

Wow!

I just read the middle grade book, Saving Ellie, by Marilee Crow and I'm in awe. IMHO this book should become a classic.

I grew up in the 1940s and '50s so I knew about the way Jewish people had been treated in Nazi Germany, but most kids today have no idea what things were like then. This book manages to let young readers understand a lot about that situation in only about 40 pages and without going into the extremely gruesome details.

We care about the main character, Ellie. She's believable and takes some action that makes a difference so she's not just a victim. And the ending of the story is positive.

The black and white illustrations by KC Snider look a lot like the black and white photographs of that era and help to set the scenes.

With all the bad things in the news lately, it will be a big help for children who read this book to understand how wrong it is to be prejudiced against other people. I think every kid in America should read it.

Katie, the Heavenly Hound

In this book by Emma M. Glover, Katie, the Heavenly Hound doesn’t start out being heavenly. Instead, she causes so much trouble her human tosses her out on the street and she becomes homeless.

Then her guardian angel teaches her how to help people. And the people she cheers up and helps go on to do the same for others, as a result.

Katie becomes a therapy dog, and eventually helps the same human who kicked her out in the beginning of the story.

Since this book is for young kids it doesn’t mention the time it takes to train a therapy dog or the shelters available for unwanted pets.

But I like the theme of love and good deeds spreading to help others.

And KC Snyder’s colorful illustrations portray that beautifully.

Little Lonnie Long Ears

Anyone who knows me knows I care a lot about people with Special Needs and other differences that make it difficult for them to be accepted.

Little Lonnie Long Ears is a picture book about a bunny who was different from the others and shunned as a result.

Lonnie had such long ears they would trip him and make him fall when he tried to do usual rabbit things like play with other bunnies. The extra long ears also made him look different.

Because of his long ears all the bunnies teased him and he had no friends. None of the other animals would accept him, either.

But one kind bunny named Chrisinda not only accepted Lonnie, she helped him figure out a way to make his long ears into an advantage instead of a disadvantage.

Because of her help, the other bunnies did accept him.

I hope this book, with cute illustrations by KC Snider, will help young kids learn to accept people who are different from themselves. And I hope it will encourage kids who have differences themselves to realize those can be used in positive ways.